


Here we part

by eviternalism



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Tragedy, Borderlands: Tales from the Borderlands, Jack Feels, M/M, Rhack Feels, Suicidal Thoughts, Tales from the Borderlands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 19:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12306516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviternalism/pseuds/eviternalism
Summary: Hand latched onto the possessed metallic wrist, Rhys struggled to breathe, “You kill me… you… kill yourself!”“That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make!” Jack replied, his grip increasingly tightening.Realisation dawned upon Rhys, his eyes widening in dismal resolution as he stopped fighting, “Me too.”The sound he made was so small, so weak, that Rhys was left to wonder if Jack had even heard it. However, as he felt the grip on his neck come loose, he realised that not only did Jack hear it, but that it meant something to him.“You… you really won’t stop at nothing to see the end of me, huh, kid?” Despite being phrased as a question, Rhys felt Jack’s words sounded more like a doleful realisation.





	Here we part

**Author's Note:**

> Based on my first playthrough, in which I misinterpreted Rhys's fate and missed a crucial cue. (Except that in my case, I wound up with a "Game Over" screen.)

“You ready to do this, Rhys? Are you ready to do this?” Jack mockingly asked, as if Rhys had a choice, “Cause I am.”

Hand latched onto the possessed metallic wrist, Rhys struggled to breathe, “You kill me… you… kill yourself!”

“That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make!” Jack replied, his grip increasingly tightening.

Realisation dawned upon Rhys, his eyes widening in dismal resolution as he stopped fighting, “Me too.”

The sound he made was so small, so weak, that Rhys was left to wonder if Jack had even heard it. However, as he felt the grip on his neck come loose, he realised that not only did Jack hear it, but that it meant something to him.

“You… you really won’t stop at nothing to see the end of me, huh, kid?” Despite being phrased as a question, Rhys felt Jack’s words sounded more like a doleful realisation. “It makes sense. Here, in every goddamn corner of your mind, all I can feel is your hatred towards me. Your betrayal.”

When the hands on his neck suddenly disappeared, Rhys staggered as he looked at the debris around him. His eyes settled on a metal rod poking out of the fallen structure. Clenching his jaw, he felt his eyes grow tearful as he considered taking his life with it.

“Please don’t.” Jack pleaded, falling to his knees. “Look, I’m on my knees here! I–I can’t go back to how it was. There is nothing, absolutely nothing there! I was bluffing, Rhysie, I’m not ready.”

“Jack, this has to end,” Rhys replied, his eyes fixed on the metallic rod.

“But not like this.” Jack insisted, “Please, not like this… You. _You_ deserve better.”

“I _don’t_.” Rhys breathed out, his eyes closed, unable to look at the metal rod any longer. “You were right, I’m no better than you are.”

“You are, Rhys,” Jack said, softly and much closer this time. “I am a better person when I’m in your head! That shit I said about learning humility? It wasn’t a lie, not entirely.”

“ _Shut up,_ …” Rhys hissed, but Jack paid no mind to it.

“I hurt every person I care about, my entire life literally testifies to it.” Jack explained, “But I didn’t have access to all my memories in this iteration of myself. The memories I had were only the ones I got before I got the scan that Nakayama used. And man, I hate to admit this, but for the longest time, I suffered some sort of fucking imposter syndrome. Me. The Mount Everest of confidence, suddenly feeling like maybe I don’t amount to the actual Handsome Jack, an idiot who managed to get himself killed!”

As if proving what he meant, Jack glitched and his image wavered along with his internal turmoil. Rhys watched, panting as he tried to recover his strength.

“When I finally got uploaded into Helios,” Jack continued, “I finally realised the full extent of my fucked-up legacy, what I did to my family and to anyone who might’ve once trusted me, and I couldn’t relate. I couldn’t feel proud of it. I wondered if maybe I spent so much time in that brain of yours, that I went soft. The worst part was realising that not only was I affected by you, but I actually cared about you.”

Rhys looked up, trying to mask the many emotions that were going through his mind.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, kid.” Jack chuckled with malice. “You don’t spend so much time in someone’s head and not realise he has a pathetic little crush on you, of course, I knew! And yet, I somehow grew fond of the pathetic things you say, the way you protect your stupid friends and even the idiotic things you do to get yourself out trouble. You… you have a way with me, Rhys. That’s why I knew I had to kill you.

“I knew betraying and killing you is what the old Jack would’ve done, and I was so desperate to prove I was him, that that was exactly what I did. After all, I figured I’d hurt you anyway or that you’d find a way to betray me, so I might as well beat you to it.” He sighed.

“So what, Jack?” Rhys spoke in a harsh, cold monotone, “Are you expecting me to pity you and let you live? Because we’re far past that.”

“This,” Jack stated, “is far past the point of no return. I know that, cupcake. There’s no reason why you’d ever forgive my betrayal and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t die already. But there are still reasons why _you_ shouldn’t die, Rhys.”

Suddenly, Rhys felt his metal arm thrust back into the metal rod behind him. Realising what Jack was doing, Rhys promptly unclamped the metal piece holding his shoulder to the arm. Every movement was a wave of agonising pain, but Rhys braved through it, eventually tearing the metal contraption out of himself and falling to the floor.

Lying there, Rhys tried to catch his breath as he used his other arm to clutch at the severed shoulder that was continuously losing blood.

“I’m sorry it has to be like this.” Jack said, his voice quieter than usual, “You’ve already given so much.”

Trying to get himself to sit up, Rhys used his remaining arm to push himself off the ground, only to feel a shattered piece glass brush against his fingers. He marvelled at how it was the perfect tool to remove the ECHO eye implant.

“Do it,” Jack ordered, despite clearly battling himself at the implications of it.

With trembling fingers, Rhys picked the piece of glass up and brought it up to his temple, his eyes still fixed on Jack, who stared back. He knew what he had to do, but a thought still troubled him, "I don't think the real Jack would ask me to kill him." 

Jack seemed to think about it, but he gave no reply. 

In a swift motion, Rhys jammed the piece of glass into his temple and then removed it. The pain was becoming more than he could handle, despite his determination. Jack seemed to recognize this, he suddenly appeared closer to Rhys, placing a hand beside his face in quiet support, which, in reality, only made it harder for Rhys. "I'm sorry, Jack."

In response, Jack only gave Rhys a look that seemed to convey some sort of acceptance. 

It was enough. After removing the mechanical iris, he began pulling at the cables, still managing to perceive Jack's increasing closeness: his way of holding onto this last moment. 

Rhys finally yanked out the final piece and watched as Jack faded out of existence. Looking through his tearful eyes, he gazed at the little mechanical iris staring back at him. With a final sigh, he decided to keep it. 


End file.
